The second conjugation (дру́га дієвідмі́на) is the other half of the Ukrainian present-tense system. Its signature is the theme vowel -и-/-ї- running through the middle of the endings (говори́ш, говори́ть) and a third-person plural in -ать/-ять. The good news for learners is that the second conjugation is, in one important way, simpler than the first: when a stem consonant changes, the change is confined to the 1st-person singular (the "я" form) — every other person keeps the clean stem. So the я-form is the only tricky one, and once you can rattle off говорю́, гово́риш, гово́рить, you have the rhythm of the entire class.
The endings
The second conjugation adds these endings to the present stem. As in the first conjugation, each slot has a hard variant and a soft/iotated variant; the iotated -ї- column appears after a vowel-final stem (сто́ї-, сто́їш), the hard -и- column after a consonant-final stem (говор-, гово́риш).
| Person | Hard variant | Soft / iotated variant |
|---|---|---|
| я | -у | -ю |
| ти | -иш | -їш |
| він/вона́/воно́ | -ить | -їть |
| ми | -имо | -їмо |
| ви | -ите | -їте |
| вони́ | -ать | -ять |
Two things to fix in your head immediately. First, the 3pl is -ать/-ять — never -уть/-ють (that is the first conjugation). Second, look at the 3rd singular: -ить/-їть, with a full -ть that you both write and pronounce — гово́рить "he speaks." This -ть is a hallmark of Ukrainian and a quick way to tell the language apart from Russian, which drops it.
Model 1 — говори́ти "to speak" (the clean regular)
The reference verb. The stem говор- ends in a consonant, takes the hard endings, and does not mutate anywhere. Its stress is mobile: it lands on the ending in the 1sg (говорю́) but pulls back onto the stem from the 2sg on (гово́риш, гово́рить) — the most common second-conjugation pattern. Memorise this paradigm cold — it is the skeleton every other second-conjugation verb hangs on.
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | говорю́ | I speak / am speaking |
| ти | гово́риш | you speak |
| він/вона́ | гово́рить | he/she speaks |
| ми | гово́римо | we speak |
| ви | гово́рите | you (pl./polite) speak |
| вони́ | гово́рять | they speak |
Ти гово́риш украї́нською вже ду́же впе́внено.
You speak Ukrainian very confidently now. (2sg гово́риш — hard -иш, the -и- theme.)
Він ма́йже не гово́рить про робо́ту вдо́ма.
He hardly talks about work at home. (3sg гово́рить — note the full -ить.)
Удо́ма ми гово́римо двома́ мо́вами одра́зу.
At home we speak two languages at once. (1pl гово́римо.)
Verbs that follow говори́ти exactly — consonant stem, no mutation — are everywhere: дзвони́ти (дзвоню́, дзво́ниш), вари́ти (варю́, ва́риш), кури́ти (курю́, ку́риш), вчи́ти (вчу́, вчи́ш). Learn the model, get them all.
Model 2 — люби́ти "to love" (labial + -л- in the 1sg)
This is where the second conjugation's one quirk shows up. When the stem ends in a labial consonant — б, п, в, м, ф — the 1st-person singular inserts an -л- before the ending. So люби́ти (stem люб-) gives люблю́ "I love," not любю́. Crucially, the -л- appears *only in the 1sg; from the "ти" form on, the clean labial stem returns: лю́биш, лю́бить, лю́блять. (The 3pl лю́блять also carries the -л-, because it patterns with the 1sg historically — note that, it is the one other slot affected.)
| Person | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| я | люблю́ | б → бл (the insert) |
| ти | лю́биш | clean stem |
| він/вона́ | лю́бить | clean stem |
| ми | лю́бимо | clean stem |
| ви | лю́бите | clean stem |
| вони́ | лю́блять | -л- returns, 3pl -ять |
Notice the stress also moves: end-stressed люблю́ in the 1sg, then stem-stressed лю́биш, лю́бить from there on. The same labial -л- insert hits every б/п/в/м/ф stem in this class: роби́ти → роблю́ (ро́биш), купи́ти → куплю́, спа́ти → сплю́, лови́ти → ловлю́ (ло́виш), готува́ти-type aside, ста́вити → ста́влю.
Я люблю́ ка́ву без цу́кру, а вона́ лю́бить із молоко́м.
I like my coffee without sugar, and she likes it with milk. (люблю́ with the -л- insert; лю́бить clean.)
Ді́ти лю́блять, коли́ ї́м чита́ють уго́лос.
Kids love being read to out loud. (3pl лю́блять — the -л- returns, ending -ять.)
Я роблю́ все, що мо́жу, але́ ча́су ма́ло.
I'm doing everything I can, but there's little time. (роблю́ — б→бл in the 1sg of роби́ти.)
Model 3 — ходи́ти "to walk/go" (dental mutation in the 1sg)
A second group of verbs has a stem ending in a dental consonant — д, т, з, с, ст — which mutates in the 1sg only. The most common change is д → дж: ходи́ти (stem ход-) gives ходжу́ "I walk." Again, the mutation is quarantined: хо́диш, хо́дить, хо́дять keep the clean д.
| Person | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| я | ходжу́ | д → дж (1sg only) |
| ти | хо́диш | clean stem |
| він/вона́ | хо́дить | clean stem |
| ми | хо́димо | clean stem |
| ви | хо́дите | clean stem |
| вони́ | хо́дять | clean stem, -ять |
The dental mutations to know (all 1sg-only) follow a small, learnable map: д → дж (ходи́ти → ходжу́, сиді́ти → сиджу́), т → ч (леті́ти → лечу́), з → ж (вози́ти → вожу́), с → ш (носи́ти → ношу́), ст → щ (чи́стити → чи́щу). The full table lives on present-stem consonant changes. The discipline is always the same: change the я-form, then stop — every other slot is regular.
Я ходжу́ на робо́ту пішки́, бо це лише́ два́дцять хвили́н.
I walk to work because it's only twenty minutes. (ходжу́ — д→дж, 1sg.)
Я сиджу́ бі́ля вікна́ й ди́влюся, як іде́ дощ.
I'm sitting by the window watching the rain. (сиджу́ — д→дж; диви́тися too is second conjugation.)
Куди́ ти хо́диш у се́реду вве́чері?
Where do you go on Wednesday evenings? (2sg хо́диш — clean д, no mutation.)
Model 4 — ба́чити "to see" (hushing stem → -ать, not -ять)
One spelling rule rounds out the class. When the stem already ends in a hushing consonant — ж, ч, ш, щ — there is no 1sg mutation (the consonant is already "soft" enough), and the 3pl ending is the hard -ать, not -ять. So ба́чити (stem бач-) gives ба́чу… ба́чать, with no iotation, because Ukrainian spelling does not write я after ч.
| Person | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| я | ба́чу | -у (no ю after ч) |
| ти | ба́чиш | |
| він/вона́ | ба́чить | |
| ми | ба́чимо | |
| ви | ба́чите | |
| вони́ | ба́чать | -ать (no я after ч) |
The same hard-ending behaviour applies after any hushing consonant: лежа́ти → лежу́, лежи́ш, лежи́ть, лежа́ть; чу́ти-aside, держа́ти → держу́, де́ржать; кричати → кричу́, крича́ть. Remember лежа́ти from the two-conjugations page: it has a -ати infinitive but is firmly second conjugation (лежи́ть, not *лежа́є).
Я тебе́ ба́чу, не хова́йся за две́рима!
I can see you, stop hiding behind the door! (1sg ба́чу — -у after the hushing ч.)
Зві́дси вони́ ба́чать усе́ мі́сто як на доло́ні.
From here they see the whole city laid out below. (3pl ба́чать — -ать, never *бачять.)
Окуля́ри лежа́ть на по́лиці, а кни́жка лежи́ть на столі́.
The glasses are on the shelf, and the book is on the table. (лежа́ть / лежи́ть — second conjugation despite the -ати infinitive.)
Watch the stress
Second-conjugation stress comes in two main shapes:
- Mobile (shifting) stress (говори́ти, носи́ти): the stress lands on the ending in the 1sg (говорю́, ношу́) but retracts to the stem from the 2sg on (гово́риш, гово́рить, гово́рять; но́сиш, хо́диш, лю́биш). The 1sg is the loud, end-stressed one; the rest pull back.
- Stem stress (ба́чити): the stress stays put on the stem — ба́чу, ба́чиш, ба́чать.
The practical takeaway: in the shifting verbs, the 1sg pulls the stress onto the ending (ношу́, ходжу́, люблю́, сиджу́), and from the 2sg on it usually retreats toward the stem (но́сиш, хо́диш, лю́биш). For the underlying rules, see word stress.
Source-language comparison
For an English speaker, the second conjugation asks for the same two-step habit as the first — learn the endings, watch the stress — plus one focused piece of memory work: the 1sg mutation. The reassuring part is that the mutation is contained. Unlike the first-conjugation писа́ти (пишу́, пи́шеш — с→ш everywhere), here the change touches only the я-form: люблю́ but лю́биш, ходжу́ but хо́диш. So you can learn each verb as "regular stem + one funny 1sg." That single irregular form is the whole tax.
For a Russian speaker, the framework is identical (Russian's second conjugation is the -и-/-ат class too), but relearn the surface: Ukrainian writes and pronounces the full -ить in the 3sg (гово́рить, not the Russian-style говори́т), uses -ять/-ать in the 3pl (хо́дять, ба́чать), and keeps its own stem-change details (ходжу́ with дж). The labial -л- insert behaves as in Russian (люблю́), so that one transfers cleanly.
Common Mistakes
❌ Вони́ говору́ть украї́нською. (first-conjugation 3pl ending)
Wrong — the 2nd-conjugation 3pl is -ать/-ять: Вони́ гово́рять українською.
✅ Вони́ гово́рять українською.
They speak Ukrainian — 3pl -ять.
❌ Я любю́ цю пі́сню. (missing the -л- insert)
Wrong — a labial stem inserts -л- in the 1sg: Я люблю́ цю пісню.
✅ Я люблю́ цю пі́сню.
I love this song — люблю́, б→бл in the 1sg.
❌ Я ходю́ на робо́ту пішки́. (no 1sg mutation)
Wrong — ходи́ти mutates д→дж in the 1sg: Я ходжу́ на роботу пішки.
✅ Я ходжу́ на робо́ту пішки́.
I walk to work — ходжу́, д→дж.
❌ Ти ходжу́ зі мно́ю? (1sg mutation leaking into the 2sg)
Wrong — the mutation is 1sg-only; the 2sg keeps the clean stem: Ти хо́диш зі мною?
✅ Ти хо́диш зі мно́ю?
Are you coming with me? — хо́диш, clean д.
❌ Вони́ ба́чять но́вий фільм. (я after a hushing consonant)
Wrong — after ж/ч/ш/щ the 3pl is the hard -ать: Вони́ ба́чать новий фільм.
✅ Вони́ ба́чать но́вий фільм.
They're watching a new film — ба́чать, -ать after ч.
Key Takeaways
- Second-conjugation endings: -у/-ю, -иш/-їш, -ить/-їть, -имо/-їмо, -ите/-їте, -ать/-ять — iotated variants after a vowel stem, hard after a consonant stem.
- Diagnostic: theme vowel -и-/-ї- and 3pl -ать/-ять; anchor on говорю́ / гово́риш / гово́рить.
- говори́ти (mobile stress: end-stressed 1sg, stem thereafter): говорю́, гово́риш, гово́рять.
- люби́ти / роби́ти insert -л- after a labial — but only in the 1sg (and 3pl лю́блять): люблю́, лю́биш.
- ходи́ти / носи́ти / сиді́ти mutate a dental in the 1sg only: ходжу́ but хо́диш, ношу́ but но́сиш.
- ба́чити / лежа́ти have a hushing stem: no 1sg mutation, and the 3pl is the hard -ать (ба́чать, лежа́ть), because Ukrainian never writes я after ч.
Now practice Ukrainian
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- Present Tense: First ConjugationA1 — The first conjugation (пе́рша дієвідмі́на) takes the present endings -у/-ю, -еш/-єш, -е/-є, -емо/-ємо, -ете/-єте, -уть/-ють, built on the theme vowel -е-/-є- with a 3pl in -уть/-ють. Drill three models: vowel-stem чита́ти (чита́ю, чита́єш…), consonant-stem нести́ (несу́, несе́ш…), mutating писа́ти (пишу́, пи́шеш…), могти́ (можу́…), and the huge -увати/-ювати class (працюва́ти → працю́ю).
- The Two Conjugations (Дієвідміни)A1 — Ukrainian verbs fall into two conjugation classes that determine the present and synthetic-future endings: the FIRST (перша дієвідміна) has the theme vowel -е-/-є- and the 3rd-person plural -уть/-ють (читаю, читаєш... читають; пишу, пишеш...), the SECOND (друга дієвідміна) has the theme vowel -и-/-ї- and 3rd-plural -ать/-ять (говорю, говориш, говорить... говорять; бачу, любиш) — and because the infinitive ending is unreliable, you read the class off the present theme vowel and the 3pl ending.
- Present-Stem Consonant ChangesA2 — When you form the present stem, a stem-final consonant often mutates: д→дж, т→ч, з→ж, с→ш, ст→щ, and any labial (б п в м ф) inserts an epenthetic -л-. In the second conjugation this happens only in the 1sg (ходи́ти→ходжу́, but хо́диш); in the first conjugation it runs through the whole present (писа́ти→пишу́, пи́шеш…). The mutations are regular, so you can derive the tricky я-form instead of memorising it.
- Говорити (to speak)A1 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for говори́ти 'to speak / talk / say' — a second-conjugation verb with the codified MOBILE STRESS that trips up everyone: end-stressed only in the 1sg говорю́, then stem-stressed гово́риш, гово́рить, гово́римо, гово́рите, гово́рять. Covers the gendered past, both imperfective futures, the imperative, the bare-INSTRUMENTAL pattern for 'speak a language' (говори́ти украї́нською), and the three-way split with розмовля́ти 'converse' and каза́ти / сказа́ти 'say'.
- Любити (to love / like)A1 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for люби́ти 'to love / to like' — a second-conjugation verb with the labial л-insertion in BOTH the 1sg люблю́ and the 3pl лю́блять (but лю́биш, лю́бить, лю́бимо, лю́бите between them), and the stress retracting to the stem after люблю́. Covers the gendered past, both imperfective futures, the imperative люби́, the accusative object (люблю́ ка́ву, люблю́ тебе́) and the + infinitive pattern (люблю́ чита́ти), the perfective полюби́ти 'come to love', and the contrast with подо́батися for a milder 'like'.
- Ходити (to go / walk — multidirectional)A2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for ходи́ти 'to go on foot, to walk' — the MULTIDIRECTIONAL member of the іти́ / ходи́ти motion pair. Covers the present (ходжу́ with д→дж only in the 1sg, then хо́диш / хо́дить / хо́димо / хо́дите / хо́дять), the gendered past where ходи́в means a completed round trip, both imperfective futures, the imperative ході́ть and the hortative ході́мо 'let's go', the habit / round-trip / ability meanings (ходжу́ до шко́ли щодня́; дити́на вже хо́дить), and the prefixed imperfectives прихо́дити, вихо́дити.